The Last Goodbye
by GalacticaCAG
Summary: One-shot regarding Jacen Solo's death and its aftermath. I hope I posted this in the correct spot. Rating is purely cautionary. Please Read and Respond. I fervently hope you all enjoy this story.


**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Star Wars or any of its affiliated characters.**

**The Last Goodbye**

_In Memory of Jacen Solo_

The magenta blade cut slowly, inexorably, towards the Sith lord's heart, yet he did not raise his crimson blade in his own defense. It remained loosely gripped at his side. In mere moments, Darth Caedus would be dead along with the last remnants of Jacen Solo…were Darth Caedus not already dead.

In these last, precious, moments, the sleeping entity of Jacen Solo awoke to a galaxy changed. The realization of the events of the last many months came to him in a painful rush, dealing him a blow more physical than the lightsaber now slicing towards his heart.

The minutes leading up to this very moment returned to him as well, further compounding his epiphany: Isolder…a duel with his own twin sister…_The nanovirus._

Jacen's focus immediately turned outwards as he frantically stretched out in the Force. _Tenel Ka!_ he screamed in utter desperation, flooding the Force with his fear. _Take Allana and run, please! Keep her safe!_ he begged.

At first he felt nothing. Then there was a tentative touch at the very edge of his being. He tore down his barriers and opened himself totally to the probe, his very heart and soul to be read like a book. Time, he knew, was short: The lightsaber was so very close to its goal. He gazed up at its wielder: Jaina. His other half. _His twin_. Although she could not see, he gave her a small, sad, smile before wearily closing his eyes.

He fell back into the blinding white light that was the Force. He submerged himself in it and, finally, was at peace.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As the broken body crumpled at her feet, Jaina felt him die: Not Caedus, but her lost brother. At first she thought she had imagined it, that it was impossible- The death, the frantic cries in the Force, all of it. Then she saw his eyes, and they made her blood seem to freeze in her veins.

Caedus' eyes had been a cold and sickly yellow, but these were a soft and hauntingly familiar brandy-brown, once so full of life. It was then that she knew.

She dropped to her knees as it struck her: In his final moments, the mangled man that lay before her had been her brother again. She pulled his head into her lap, gently cradling it as tears streamed down her face.

Inexplicably, her thoughts turned to the lull in the Battle of Ithor after the death of Anni Captison and the raw grief she had then felt. That night, Jacen had come to her and comforted her all through the night. He had stroked her hair and whispered to her over and over that the ones we love never truly leave us, so long as we hold them in our hearts. She now found herself whispering these words to the body of her brother, swearing them to be true.

Then she felt it: The place in her heart that had always been Jacen's warmed within her. Their twin-bond had been renewed and she could feel him once again as she held his body closer.

"You feel it too, don't you?"

Jaina knew that voice. "Jacen…?" she whispered, raising her head.

And there he was, a shimmering figure standing before her. He smiled to her and nodded, "Yes, it's me."

Jaina felt herself dissolving once more. "Jacen, I'm sorry. I…" her voice broke as emotion overwhelmed her.

"Shhh…" her brother soothed. "It is I who should be sorry, for everything. All that I can do is ask for your forgiveness."

Jaina smiled through her tears, for the first time in what seemed like years. "I love you, Jace. No matter what."

Her twin smiled and began to fade away before her, "I love you too, Jaina. Know that."

"Wait…"she called weakly, but her brother's form continued to disappear. Nearly gone, she heard his voice one last time.

"Remember, Jaina: The ones we love never die, as long as we hold a place for them in our heart," his voice echoed softly. Then he was gone.

In his place, the disposal pit door slid open, light flooding where there was once only darkness. Silhouetted in the doorframe was a figure: At first she had the wild hope that her brother had returned, that all of this had just been some twisted nightmare. But then the figure spoke and those hopes came crashing down around her, "She's here! I've found her! Come quick!"

It was Jag, she realized. As he rushed towards her, she thought that he had come to join them and, inexplicably, that made her very sad.

But then he dropped down beside her and tried to pull Jacen from her arms. Shocked and enraged, she summoned every ounce control she had in the Force and hurled him away. "Don't touch him!" she shrieked, but her words garbled almost beyond understanding into "Doonguchem!" As Jag hit the opposite wall, she pulled her brother protectively closer.

She wouldn't let them take her twin away from her again: She had finally, in the last, got him back and she would not lose him again.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Leia's face was buried in her husband's chest while he himself struggled to hold back the raw pain within him. Two of their children were now dead; how much more would the galaxy demand of their family?

The darkness of the bedroom noticeably lightened and both turned towards the door, expecting to see their granddaughter entering. Instead, before them stood their eldest son.

"Mom...Dad?" he ventured hesitantly.

"Jacen?" his mother choked out in reply.

"It's me, mom," he affirmed in a tearful and wavering voice.

"Not Caedus?" Han demanded suspiciously, not yet daring to believe.

The glowing figure gave a sad smile, "Not Caedus, Dad. Jacen." His voice faltered. "I'm so sorry. For everything," he said in a sorrowful rush and hung his head in shame. "I don't expect forgiveness, not after everything I've done, but I need you to know how sorry I am."

Leia gathered her voice to her, "You're our son, Jacen; We will always love you for the man you were. That will never change." Han nodded in silent agreement, saying nothing. But he believed.

Jacen beamed at them as he began to recede. "Its time for me to leave now," he said quietly. "I love you both. Take care of yourselves and the family and…tell them goodbye from me." With a final nod, he vanished.

Leia once more buried her face into Han's chest, but his eyes remained fixed on where Jacen had disappeared. Tear tracks finally marred his face.

"Goodbye, son," he whispered.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Luke Skywalker and his son, Ben, sat cross-legged acrossed from each other, deep in meditation. The last few months had been agonizingly difficult and intense, but it was over: Darth Caedus was gone. Mara Jade Skywalker's murderer was dead.

And the entire Order grieved. Not for the Sith despot, but for the brave and caring man he once had been; the Jedi Knight that had been both a leader and beacon of hope to the Jedi.

Now, the last of the Skywalker family together immersed themselves in the Force not only to channel grief, but also to discover why Jacen Solo had fallen. They were searching his past: Every aspect of his life and everywhere his influence still lingered.

Materializing, as if from their very memories, the Force echoed with a presence. Luke Skywalker was no stranger to this occurrence and his eyes snapped open, his son's following suit a heartbeat later.

Before them was the solemn Force-apparition of the very man they had been meditating upon: Jacen Solo. He greeted them tentatively, "Hello Uncle Luke; Ben."

Ben remained silent, accusing, but Luke nodded solemnly, "Jacen."

That alone was enough and Solo lost his composure. "I'm sorry…so sorry for everything. I-I've failed you both."

Luke, who appeared to be the one who would be doing the talking, was silent for a long moment. "Why Jacen?" he finally asked.

Jacen, who had used the silence to attempt to master himself, began humbly and honestly, "I started with the best of intentions: I wanted to create a safer, more united galaxy. One where children…like my daughter…could grow up in safety without fear. I was willing to go to any lengths to achieve that end…and _that_ was my failing.

Luke looked at his nephew in sympathy and spoke gently, "The Dark Side has seduced many for less noble reasons. You are not the first, nor will you be the last."

"That doesn't excuse what I've done," Jacen replied bitterly.

"Perhaps not," Luke agreed. "But many are not redeemed in the end, as you have been, nor done so much good in their lives."

Jacen spoke again, his voice a mere whisper, "I'm so sorry about Aunt Mara." He turned to his cousin, "And for what I did to you, Ben. I don't expect forgiveness, but you need to know how sorry I am, how much I-how much I regret…" He trailed off, at a loss as to how to articulate his feelings.

"You are my nephew, Jacen. No matter what else has happened, nothing will change that. Caedus killed Mara and tortured Ben: Not you. I'll always remember you as the brave Jedi and good man you once were, just as I remember my own father."

With this sentiment, Jacen began to fade away, his presence in the Force diminishing, "Thank you, Uncle Luke. Please tell Tahiri how sorry I am for what I put her through… Farewell."

"Goodbye, Jacen," Luke said somberly.

Suddenly, Ben spoke up, seeming to have come to a monumentous decision, "May the Force be with You, Jacen," he said as his cousin departed.

Father and son locked eyes and rose as one: Neither could summon the serenity to meditate anymore.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Allana, or Amelia as she would now be known, lay curled up in her bed at her grandparent's home, her favorite stuffed animal clutched to her chest. The one Jacen had given her so long ago, back when he was still her daddy.

She had named the tauntaun Jacen so that she could talk to it when he wasn't there; she now clung to it for the very same reason. Her daddy was dead. She knew Jacen had become a bad man, but she still loved him: He hadn't always been bad and he was still her daddy. Her mommy had told her that he had saved both of them before he died and Allana believed her.

Yet, she was still very confused and upset and she wanted to talk with her mommy very much, but she knew that couldn't happen. This thought made her feel even more alone and she held her animal even tighter.

"Allana?" a voice called softly, jolting her to a sitting position. At the foot of her bed stood her toy's namesake: Her father. He looked like a hologram, but she knew that couldn't be true.

"Jacen?"

He broke into a watery smile, "It's me, Allana."

"Are…are you a ghost?"

He came to kneel beside the bed, bringing himself down to her level. "In a way, yes. I am a ghost, but I'm not here to hurt you."

"I know." And she did. "You're not the bad man anymore, are you?"

"No honey, I'm not. I'm your daddy and…" he faltered. "And I'm here to say goodbye."

Allana felt the tears roll down her face, "You're leaving me again, aren't you? But this time, you're not coming back."

He looked heartbroken and as though he would reach out to her, but, realizing he couldn't, he stopped himself. Instead he spoke, his voice low and comforting. "Just because I'm not going to be here doesn't mean I'm leaving you." He pointed to her tauntaun, "Whenever you're feeling lonely or scared, talk to Jacen here, and I promise I'll hear. I'll never leave you, honey; I'll always be there, watching over you. I promise."

He looked at something she could not see before returning his gaze to her, "I have to go now, sweetheart. Be good for your mother and grandma and grandpa, okay?"

She nodded, wiping her tears, "I promise. I-I love you, daddy."

Jacen smiled at her, a smile that filled all the emptiness inside her and caused all the confusion to leave her, "I love you too, angel. Remember that. Sleep now…"

Suddenly, she found herself feeling tremendously sleepy and found it difficult to keep her eyes open. She fought to keep them open and on her daddy's vanishing form, trying to memorize his every feature. As he disappeared, her eyes closed and she fell into a peaceful, deep, sleep. But she would never forget that night as long as she lived.

And Jacen was still clutched in her arms.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

In the heart of the Fountain Palace, Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo was alone. She lay curled up on her enormous bed, tears streaming unchecked from her gray eyes. There was only one person in the galaxy that could shatter her stoic composure so completely: Jacen Solo.

He was her one true love, a love she had thought lost to her forever. She had hardened herself against him when he had assumed the title Darth Caedus. After that moment, she had believed her Jacen was dead…until those final, terrible, moments.

He had come back to her in the last seconds of his life and had saved both of them from certain death. The Force had resonated powerfully with his cries and, for the first time in a long time, she had felt him. She had felt hope.

But that feeling was as fleeting as it was wonderful: That hope, rooted in the love and concern that flooded from him, vanished as abruptly as his presence in the Force. In its place there was left only emptiness.

At that very moment she knew that Jacen, her one love and the father of her child, was dead.

This sense of inconsolable loss and loneliness had dominated her every waking moment. Even when she found sleep, she found no peace. She felt the pain so acutely that it felt like a physical wound, even greater than that of the loss of her arm.

Even now, it threatened to overwhelm her; she writhed on the bed in emotional agony and stifled a pained cry in her pillow. The vacuum left in the wake of Jacen's death was consuming her, threatening to tear her apart, and there was nothing to relieve her pain. To banish the emptiness.

Then, from the depths of the darkness, a pinprick of light appeared; a feeling she thought she'd never feel again surfaced. A presence that meant more to her than any other.

She raised her head from the pillow, hardly daring to believe. She used the back of her good hand to clear her bleary eyes, only to have them fill again as she recognized the shimmering figure before her. "Jacen," she sobbed, losing herself in a fresh wave of grief.

"Shhh…Tenel Ka," he soothed, his voice gentle and quiet. His figure came closer, as if he wanted to take her in his arms. How she wished he could- she wanted desperately to be held, one last time.

Yet, somehow his simple words were unimaginably effective. "You-You are here," she breathed. "It is you…"

He smiled, but more sadly than she had ever seen him smile before. "Yes, my love, its me. But…But my time is short."

Tenel Ka merely nodded in sorrowful understanding.

"I've come to say goodbye and to tell you how much I love you. Despite all that's happened, I never stopped loving you or our daughter." His eyes were earnest, begging her to believe him.

"I believe you," she said softly. "You used your last moments to save us, didn't you?" She already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear him say it.

"Yes." He paused before continuing in a tearful voice, "Tenel Ka, soon I will pass on; become one with the Force. When I'm gone, never forget how much I love you. Remember me as the man I once was: A kind and good man who loved you more than life itself. Promise me you'll remember," he begged desperately.

"I promise, Jacen my friend," she pledged, voice choked with emotion.

He took a deep breath and gave a nod before stepping back. He then began to diminish before her very eyes. His voice drifted to her as if from over a great gulf, "Tenel Ka Djo, I love you more than anything in the galaxy…Remember that, and I will always be with you." Nearly gone, his last words came as a whisper in the wind.

Tears streaming freely down her face, she came to her feet and took a faltering step towards his nearly-receded form. "I love you, Jacen Solo!" she cried, willing him to hear her words as clearly as she knew their truth in her heart. "I have never loved anyone else so much in my life and I never will. I could never love anyone more than you." Her stone-gray eyes frantically sought his. She caught one, final, glimpse of warm brandy-brown and his trademark lopsided grin before the man she loved disappeared completely and became one with the Force.

Tenel Ka fell back upon her bed, tears continuing to sting her eyes. Squeezing them shut, her good hand groped blindly on her bedside table before closing around the item she sought, her most treasured procession: The Gort-shell necklace that her Jacen had given her all those years ago. She clutched the precious necklace tightly to her breast, holding it for dear life.

Then, her tears stopped and she opened her eyes in amazement. They fixed themselves upon the spot that Jacen had vanished. From the darkness floated his distant and whispered voice, "…always with you."

All of the loneliness and pain that had gripped her heart had now vanished in the wake of Jacen Solo's Last Goodbye.

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_Author's Note:_ _About a month ago, I finally read __Invincible__ and immediately began to write this One-shot. I've put a lot of time and effort writing this and trying to make it one of the best things I have ever written. I freely admit that writing this really moved me and I was even brought to tears plotting and writing some of this as I imagined it happening. I hope that this conveys similar emotions to all of you._

_Jacen Solo was always my favorite Expanded Universe character and I don't think I'll ever quite forgive George Lucas for letting him turn to the Dark Side. This is one of his very few mistakes or errors in my opinion in the entire Star Wars universe, but probably the one that hit me hardest. I'll always love Star Wars, but I'll always regret this happening. _

_I wish to extend my thanks to Troy Denning, though he may never read this, for allowing Jacen to die with a shred of dignity and for the way he wrote the final 'Legacy of the Force' book. The jokes and flashbacks made it all easier to bear. We also have Denning to thank for __finally__ creating my favorite pairing, Tenel Ka and Jacen, in __The Joiner King__._

_I hope you all enjoyed this, the way I think Jacen Solo's death should have been. Thank you all very much for reading._

_-The CAG_


End file.
